The present invention relates to a footboard assembly for a hospital bed. In the context of this invention, the term hospital bed should be viewed as a generic term which encompasses all types of patient support surfaces. This improved footboard may be positioned over the patient (or the bed mattress) to provide a shelf or work surface. This newly provided space is of substantial help in patient transfer situations.
The transfer of a patient, particularly a critically ill patient, within a hospital is a difficult process. The equipment required for transport may include portable monitors, I.V. pumps, and defibrillators. Lacking a good location for all of this equipment, it is often placed on the bed with the patient or several medical staff personnel must move with the patient to carry or push the needed equipment. Either situation is clearly undesirable.
The present invention provides a shelf over the bed. This location over the bed provides space for emergency and other equipment during patient transport in the bed while still not increasing the overall dimensions of the bed. This is important for maneuvering through tight hospital doors or corridors and in elevators. If a shelf were added that extended beyond the bed, the combination of bed and shelf might not fit in an elevator. Thus, a problem in equipment movement has been solved while not creating another problem by making the overall dimension of the bed longer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,627 illustrates a footboard and a headboard for a hospital bed which foot and headboards are movable from one position to another. In particular, FIG. 3 of this reference illustrates how the footboard may be pivoted from a vertical to a horizontal position. However, this increases the overall dimension of the bed and is not positioned over the bed itself.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,719,614; 2,483,920; and 2,709,818 all illustrate a similar concept. These patents all teach a form of overbed patient table which can pivot from a position over a head or footboard to a position over a bed. However, these are all separate devices, not a head or footboard per se, all require attachment to the side of the bed which can interfere with medical procedure and are not supported in a cantilever manner from the foot of the bed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,195,151; 3,893,197, and 4,381,572 all teach some form of hospital bed footboard that is movable. These references all attach the footboard to the side rails or longitudinal support members and do not support the footboard in a cantilever manner from the foot of the bed. Thus, the side of the bed is cluttered with support devices in the case of all of these references.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,694,095; 2,732,568; and 3,866,251 all teach an attachment (tray or foot rest) to the footboard of a hospital bed. These devices all can be pivoted to extend over the bed surface. However, they are attachments to a footboard and are not the footboard itself, as claimed by Applicants. Furthermore, it is not at all clear that the structures shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,694,095 and 3,866,251 could be positioned perpendicular to the headboard and function as a tray at all. There is certainly no hint of any such function in these patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,698 teaches a hospital bed in which the footboard is configured to hold a tray. The tray can be removed from the footboard and positioned over the bed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 541,339 and 2,739,319 teach bed footboards which contain trays that may be extended from the footboard. However, these are auxiliary devices, not the footboard per se, and extend away from the bed, not over the bed.